This invention relates to ski boots and ski bindings, and in particular to an operative combination of a ski boot and integral binding which is simple, effective and which allows release in all directions. This invention also relates to improvements in the structure of a ski boot, including the facilitation of walking in the boot, rearward release to prevent knee injuries, and adjustability of the degree of forward and rear lean of the skier's leg when the boot is worn.
As the technology relating to skis and ski boots advances, leg injuries encountered by skiers have been reduced dramatically. However, the vast majority of all commercial skiing combinations comprise a ski boot, a binding for attachment of the boot to a ski, and, of course, a ski. Typically, the manufacturers of the ski, binding and boot are different, leading to the possibility of incompatability, but, more importantly, preventing more radical advances in skiing safety by permitting integration of these three operative elements, or of at least the ski boot and bindings. Therefore, bindings, while experiencing minor advances over the years, have still clung to the decades old structure of a toe portion and a heel portion, which clamp respectively to the skier's boot toe and boot heel. Because the typical boot sole is quite long, clamping at these great lengths necessitates a rather long lever arm for release.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,732 describes a considerable improvement in ski bindings, where the degree of reliability of the release of the binding is increased greatly over conventional heel and toe bindings. However, the structure requires the skier to be somewhat elevated above the ski in relation to elevations with conventional heel and toe bindings, an additional height which may be objectionable to some skiers. Also, with one exception, the binding of this patent is a separate structure from the boot, necessitating an additional plate and therefore additional weight. Thus, while a considerable improvement over conventional heel and toe bindings, the invention of this patent is not the perfect answer to problems encountered with heel and toe bindings.
Conventional ski boots have a relatively stiff, long sole in order to function compatibly with conventional heel and toe bindings. As a result, walking in ski boots for any distance whatsoever is an arduous, uncomfortable and awkward procedure. Also, most conventional ski boots of the clam shell type (having forward and rear cuffs) have only limited lean adjustment in the forward direction and none rearward when the boot is closed for skiing. In this type of ski boot, and indeed, in most modern, stiff ski boots, ankle injuries have largely been eliminated, but, unfortunately, the stiffness of the boot and inability to bend rearwardly have created new knee problems, and in particular tears of the anterior cruciate ligaments. This type of injury can often end a skier's skiing career, or force the truly avid skier to wear a knee brace in order to be able to ski in the future.
The above-identified related patent, of which this application is a continuation-in-part, provides many operative improvements for both a ski boot and also the combination of a ski boot and releasable ski binding. The present invention provides additional improvements in both the boot and in the boot-binding combination, providing a truly operative and integrated structure having reliable release characteristics, injury protection, walking ease, and improved walking safety.